Rain Unedited Version
by DemonPrinceAxm
Summary: No summary at the current time
1. Chapter 1

"Such foolish emotions..." he murmured, frowning darkly. He had steeled his heart years ago, what seemed like thousands of years ago but had been only several years. He had forgotten what it was like to feel most anything, yet this girl before him was determined to make him feel. It was an impossible goal, for years; he denied him the comfort of others and animals alike. Day and night, he walked and lived alone; taking no heed of warning from other life around. Fear did not strike him, though there was much for him to fear and he knew this. But fear and hate restricted a clear head and mind, such a thing could affect one's judgment and decision on a serious matter.

Max would take no such risk, the years of his childhood taught him that and he retained the knowledge of pain. It made his life miserable when he actually bothered to think about it and seldom ever did; forcing it from his mind from day to day. He could not afford to think about what had happened, it was the past and the past was set in stone. Nothing could be erased nor forgotten, no matter how hard one tried and he tried very hard to wipe it from his mind. He knew shame, pain, and self hate; his life's philosophy had brought him far in life. He had always forgiven but he never forgot what had happened in the past. Fights, arguments over meaningless things, forced separations, and words thrown around meant to harm the heart. Though he never let it bother him for long, though often he wanted to change what he had said and done.

Pain often clouded his mind and his head, but he continued on with his day as if nothing ailed him. This always bothered him most though he was determined to hide it, his stoic mask having been built from determination. Very few people he could be open with and at ease in their presence. Mostly, his days consisted of studying or writing papers that were due soon or sleeping the days away since he stayed up all night, most nights. His blue-gray optics shifted toward his unannounced visitor, he had not been expecting company today and it annoyed him greatly though he did not allow it to show. He stepped aside and allowed the girl in, his "little sister" as she had begun to act like even though he did not have one. As an only child, he preferred his space and tended to seclude himself in his own room for hours, if not days, at a time.

Max stepped aside to admit his unexpected visitor into his home, he had not dressed yet today though he wore dark brown shorts made of denim and a tight, black shirt. It was what he often slept in when the nights were hot and he did not feel like opening the window or turning on the air conditioner in his room. He lead her to the living room, he needed no introduction for he knew who his guest was. "Make yourself comfortable..." his low voice seemed to rumble as he turned to vanish down a dark hallway to his room. He shut the door quietly and changed from his clothes he had slept in to a pair of dark blue jeans and another black shirt that was plastered with skulls with crowns all over his shirt.

As Max stepped from his room, he returned to his living room to greet the girl in question. His voice was low as if he spoke to a spooked animal in a cage and soft, which was quite unusual. Surely, she was as uneasy as he was about her sudden visit. He knew her face and features rather well, having listened to her describe them time and time again. He almost winced as he spoke, it was awkward that he'd ever have any visitors over just to see him. Usually they were clients or people who had asked for something to be drawn or made for them. His skills were uncannily accurate and well renowned within his class and school. "So good of you to stop by...Daniella." 


	2. Chapter 2

Blue-gray optics stared down at emerald green hues that shone brightly in the waning sunlight as storm clouds closed in around the town. His house was made of stone on the outside, though on the inside it was rather open and bright. It wasn't something that was expected but it was his front room and it would be open for discussion as a topic for the people who came over or that he invited. He had painted it a deep, ocean blue since it was one of his preferred colors. It darkened the room enough but was bright enough to seem open, he had mixed a little bit of black within the deep, rich blue color. It had darkened the color almost considerably but he left it alone at that.

Max huffed and looked away from her curious gaze, it annoyed him that people had to stare and especially at him. Just because he was a topic of interest within his neighborhood, often stared at wherever he went. Honestly, it pissed him off quite often though he refrained from snapping at complete strangers. Often, it seemed as though he had a tic in his jaw from restraining himself so much. She seemed afraid of him as he stood there before her, staring down at her like he would be the one to pass her judgement. She hesitated before she managed to get out a few words. "So..um...surprise?" She was afraid that he'd tell her to go away and slam the door in her face.

What he did surprised her so much more, he smiled as if he were amused. He never smiled for anyone, it apparently had been the right thing to say. Rarely was he open with anyone, definately not as open as the female that stood at his door. He shook his head and stepped back to allow her in, he gestured to the dark gray sofa. "Have a seat," he low voice seemed to rumble like thunder as he closed the door behind her. "I will return shortly...do not touch anything..." he murmured lowly as he disappeared down a dark hall. He could see quite well in the dark, his eyes having grown used to the darkness long ago. His eyes were sharp and keen to anything that moved. The floor of the living room was a dark wood, what she believed to be oak or pine that had been stained.

When he had returned, his clothing had changed and he seemed more refined. Like he had actually gotten ready for the day, he seemed more at ease and prepared at the same time. His black jeans seemed to draw in the colors of the room and absorb them if one stared to long, eventually forced to look away. His black shirt had been replaced by a white one that had a gun painted on the back of the shirt, rainbow liquid dripping down like water or blood. Though the picture couldn't be fully seen, a loose black hoodie seemed to cover it up and hide it. On the front of the shirt were words which read; 'destroy or risk being destroyed.' The words were crimson, a deep rich shade of red; almost like blood itself. These, too, seemed to drip down as if freshly painted. Part of the words were hidden but it was pretty clear at what they said and implied.

Max sat across from the girl that had come, Daniella was her name otherwise known as Exxie by her friends. Why she had come to see him from all that way, he didn't know and didn't really care. He'd find out later but for now...he would show his guest some hospitality and be nice. She still seemed twitchy and nervous, an amusing sight to him in his mind. He broke into her thoughts as he spoke lowly, "allow me to show you around if you like. If not, you are free to explore the first floor except for the back hallway." He wouldn't allow her complete freedom but enough to look around and touch things. See what kind of place he called his home, he, at least, could allow her that much. 


	3. Chapter 3

As Daniella wandered the house, where she was allowed, Max seemed to disappear. Of course, he only went back to his room where he had forbade her coming toward, the long dark hallway was near impossible to see down. The walls were painted black along with the ceiling, this was part of the illusion used to make it seem like the hallway never ended. Down at the end of the hall though resided a heavy oaken door, this, of course, would lead to Max's study. His room was the door next to it on the left, the door further down on the right was the guest room. If for not the fear of what he would do, she would travel down the hallway out of curiousity.

However, Daniella went out to the backyard instead to see if he had any animals. She stared at the backyard, with several acres of land; what did she expect? A small, normal sized backyard? Not exactly what she saw, there was a completely escape proof tunnel that ran the length of the yard for the number of cats Max owned. Multiple breeds and all in pairs. Several of them were basking in the dim sunlight at the moment, protected from the rain by a fiber glass cover. It was clear that Max favored his cats, but he favored the dogs he had as well. With the dogs, he had altered a section of the backyard for them specifically with numberous trees of all sorts.

Daniella stood in awe, there were so many animals from what she saw in the completely fenced in yard. The fence was just to keep the dogs from escaping, on the outside of it was so much more land. She wouldn't figure it out until later on when Max gave her the full tour of his home. She turned and went back inside, deciding against gretting the dogs. Later on, she would get Max to accompany her outside and have him introduce her to the dogs. With luck, he would not object to such a small task and favor. As she turned to explore the kitchen and the rest of the house where she assumed she was allowed, Max had returned to the living room. He was seated on the sofa with a cup of tea in his hands, a saucer had been set on the table for the cup itself. His eyes were closed and he didn't seem to notice her at all.

Daniella took this time to slipped past him into the kitchen, she was curious what it looked like and what he kept in there. With black granite counter tops and a black, flat surface stove that was electric. It wasn't his favorite kind of stove but it was better than the eletrical burners that took forever to clean. She looked at the stainless steel appliances in awe, the kitchen was kept clean at almost all times except for when one was cooking. That one was usually Max, but she could only guess who cooked all the time. He often cooked for his mother because she was growing older every day and she frequently grew fed up with having to cook, even though it was seldom now that she did. He had taken up most of the responsibilites of the house now, cleaning, cooking, and such. It was the only reason why the house stayed so spotlessly clean, his mother would often make a big deal about not doing things properly. She was somewhat a perfectionist and had to have everything cleaned to the last corner.

Max somewhat grew annoyed with her constant persistance in telling him to do so, but he withheld his temper and did as she asked every time. He tended to cook within his experience and what she preferred more often than not. Trying new things was something he rarely ever did, even if it was a simple recipe. It was out of character for him unless his mother asked him or convinced him to which was about every few weeks. His father was another story entirely, he didn't really care what was made for dinner as long as he got his share. With little to none praise from his father, he began to ignore what he wanted and the things he told him to do. All in all, he did things his own way and he ignored the complaints of it all. It was part of the reason why he was the way he was and why he acted like he did. 


	4. Chapter 4

Upon entering his room, Max caught sight of something that wasn't normally there. He had warned her to stay away from this hallway, in the dark gray rooms was a flash of emerald green, blue, and white. Daniella had disobeyed him and found her way down the darkness into his room, he stared at her for what seemed like hours in her mind. His face was a stoic mask before it shattered and was contorted with rage. "Out!" He snarled like a vicious wolf, pointing out of his door. She froze in fright, afraid of what he might try if she tried to slip past him to get out of his door. "Get out of my room!" He snarled again, standing somewhat to the side for her narrow escape. She moved immediately, darting past him and out of his room, down the hallway. On her way out, she had dropped the jar she held; his jar of secrets.

Daniella had barely had time to open the jar's lid, he scooped it up quickly. The stein was very important to him, with a jewel of amber encrusted in the middle of the lid that was a dragon's tail. Inside contained all sorts of secrets, photos of his past and such he wanted no one seeing. Not even his own mother knew what he kept hidden within his room, though she entered his room whenever she needed something from him. More often than not, it was simple things such as cooking or taking out the trash or even giving her a massage from time to time. He adored his mother because she often took his side on a matter that would affect the family. Today she was visiting a friend and it was just him here, his father had went with his mother to visit long time friends and they'd be heading out to visit family tomorrow.

Max would not be joining them so they'd have more time there with the family while he kept the house clean and such. He'd been left home by himself for many years before and he had managed on his own. He'd grown used to being alone as he grew up and excelled at his classed and passed them with flying colors. At least, that's what his mother always said. 'He passed with flying colors!' his mother would squeal in delight anytime he brought his papers home with A's on them. She'd often gush about how proud she was of him, he'd done his best to please her as he grew. He hated to disappoint her, even when his grades began to slip somewhat. He began having trouble with the teachers when he had done no wrong at all. He didn't remember much but his mother often came to his defense when he was a child. He was greatful to her, defending him when he couldn't. He scorned his teachers for that and he began to hate school because of the teachers themselves.

With a sigh, he slammed his door shut. She could find her way to the guest room on her own, it wasn't all that hard since it was just across the hall. He stared at the walls, they were close enough to black to be actually mistaken for it in the dark. He moved to his desk and flipped on the small silver lamp that rested there, it seemed to illuminate the room. He placed the stein onto the dark wooden desk and sat in the crimson arm chair he had placed before it. He exhaled, placing a hand over his eyes as he leaned back and began to calm down somewhat and relax. He slowly opened the laptop that rested on his desk and played one of the numerous songs he had copied from cd's. He wasn't really using them for much of anything other than to listen to so he was doing no wrong as far as he was concerned. He clicked on the song "Take It Home" by White Tie Affair and it began playing. He sighed, pulling the pair of headphones that lay next to the laptop.

Daniella knew she had no right to go in his room but she was curious and she couldn't help herself. Her curiosity always got the better of her and forced her to do things she knew she shouldn't. She sighed, retreating to look around the rest of the house and possibly the guest bed room. 'Hallway off limits...' she thought as she explored the other rooms of the house. If she didn't maintain some sort of self control, Max might just kick her out and be done with it. The thought of his piercing, blue-gray eyes from that instant was burned into her mind. She knew he was pissed, she just didn't know what she was going to do or how to apologize for trespassing upon his private things. She just didn't think that the jar held anything important. She had dropped it when Max had discovered her, she sighed. Hell, she was in deep this time and she knew it. Hell hath no fury like Max's anger. 


	5. Chapter 5

His hatred was still raw from the sight that day, when Daniella had entered his room and private quarters without his permission. He hated that she did that, the image had been burned into his mind for what she had done. It was a betrayel that he wasn't about to forgive so easily, he wouldn't forget it either. Especially when his precious stein had been dropped and endangered by her clumsiness. His rage would not be deterred or soothed by any apology, no matter how many times it was utterered or how true it was. He couldn't bring himself to forgive such a thing, he had specifically laid out the rules for her to follow and yet she did not yield to his words. Recently and quite often, to fill his time; he wasted it on playing video games and capturing mindless but neccessary things in the games he played. From Gamecube to Wii, he did not halt his fierce obsession to distract himself. Although his muscles cried from the strain when he played the wii, he did not yield to their frantic signals and continued to play. He did not eat as much as he once did, cutting back over half of what he ate daily. His body protested this but he ignored it and continued to do so as if it were nothing. His eyes had often escaped to the sight of the dead rose that rested upon his stark white desk and the black paper next to it as well as the words written in white. The rose was simply a reminder of what he'd been through, the words true and full to his past and what he felt then. "Love is a rose that has wilted for me. Dead and frail, but held close to remember what it's like." He murmured the words as they came forth into the front of his mind, burning like cold fire in his head. He was fiercely determined to overcome any obstacle that would stand in his way, emotional or physical. His fierce, stormy blue-gray eyes had the determined sheen to them that screamed he was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. Most intelligent human beings avoided him as did animals. He owed no debt to human kind or the beasts that were domesticated and tamed here. He had his companions and kept them well excercised, fed, and cared for. He cast down the blue-purple controller that was becoming worn from being used so much and rose, walking to his bed before he collapsed upon the firmly cushioned surface. His eyes closed immediately as he fell into slumber. His dreams were dark and nearly void of life besides himself.

When he woke next, the skies were dark for no light shone through the sides and top of his thick curtains. Little light escaped the thick lengths that were his curtains, he pinned one side to the wall with tacks to block out the light in the morning and day time. Pushing himself from his bed, his body protested out pain but he pushed himself to his feet anyway and pushed back the curtains to look outside. Sure enough, it was dark and stormy much as was his mood. Black clouds had dominated the skies and blocked out the sunlight completely, it was as if someone had taken his mood and cast it upon the skies that were now dark and growing darker by the second. His heart was heavy with ache and numbness that he barely smiled anymore, at least recently. He had quit laughing and smiling altogether for the general most part unless his cruel, cold humor found something of interest and forced itself forth to be known. He didn't care if anyone had teased him, his anger and all other emotion had drained from his features as he remained stoic to his very core. He pulled on black socks and his black hiking boots, tying them tightly so that they would not come undone. He pulled of his skin tight, metallica t-shirt and traded it for one that was button up and dark blue. White-scaled, chinese dragons had been printed upon the silk-like material with their fierce designs. The shirt seemed like dark blue water, the dragons swimming beneath the surface without color. He tugged down the edge of his jeans over his boots and slid out of his room, trailing down the darkened hallway to go and stand on the front porch. His pack of smokes, bright green lighter, and black mp3 player had been tucked into the unbuttoned shirt's pocket as they all swayed back and forth together as one. With one swift motion, he had pulled a smoke and his lighter from his pocket and lit it quickly before stowing his lighter away. His dark eyes seemed to grow colder as he stood in the door way, his gaze upon the clouds themselves as rain began to cascade down upon the heated earth. Steam rose from the hot and much used roads around his home, before long; steam curled and roiled around the yard and neighborhood like fog. He smoked in silence as he witnessed the steam's movement and path as it covered the ground, grass and concrete alike. His smoke was soon extinguished by the rain and he tossed the butt of it into a clay jar. He leaned against the door way to watch the undeniable beauty before him before he returned to the indoors.

Max sighed, denying himself the pleasure of staying and watching the rain fall. Instead of sitting out in it upon the stone steps like he usually did, he had retreated inside to watch from the windows that he opened and relaxed at the smell of the summer rain. It was too late for 'spring showers' and too early for 'fall chill.' During the summer, it was hot and it usually stayed that way until the evening. It was often said that if he stayed out in the rain, the cool liquid would sizzle once it hit his heated skin and dissolve away. He rarely slept in more than a pair of shorts, often burning up with the summer heat because of his abnormally high body temperature that allowed him to withstand the cold of winter. He had been called a "walking heater" because he did eminate heat from his body year round that kept people warm during the cool, chilly nights of the year. He hated the classification but stayed silent at the given name. His skin was pale, almost white and he also had been named a vampire of sorts. He did sleep during the day and stay awake at night, his eyes an unusual color but he did not drink blood of animal or human. He was not affected by sun or bright lights that might affect his vision though it often annoyed him. He rarely ate much more than a few provisions during the day to keep his body satisfied and his need sated while he carried on through the daily activities of cleaning, working outside on dark days, and doing other things that required physical labor. His nose was much more sensitive than what should have been at the human "state." His nose was stronger and his hearing much more sensitive when it was required most, he considered it much more useful when people weren't slurring their words together or screaming their heads off to get his attention. Though lately he hadn't been doing too much outside or inside but play games that required much physical movement that helped hone his body into finer shape than it was already. His reactions were becoming faster and quicker as he played more and more, able to protect himself in a virtual fight. Whether it would work in a real one or not, he didn't care to find out because he wasn't up to fighting physically. He hated the thought and was irritated at the mere word and thought of it. 


	6. Chapter 6

Max reached for his phone, flipping it open to check the time. An alert for a voice mail and a missed call had shown up on the screen, he switched over to the missed call alert. His grandmother with whom he rarely spent time with had called. He sighed and exited out of it, calling his voice mail as he turned over onto his back. He covered his eyes with a stuffed animal he kept nearby just for such purposes. As flimsy and worn as it was, it was useful to him in blocking out the unwanted light of his black lamp. He sat up, disrupting the stuffed animal that had previous rested over his eyes and cursed vehemently. The stuffed bear rested on his lap, on the black sheets he used for his bed. He saved the voice mail and snapped his phone shut, ending the call with his voicemail box. He threw off the sheets and shoved his phone into the black, silk-like fabric pocket of his shorts. "Damn it.." he growled in annoyance, torn between indecision. He didn't know whether he should call her back or just ignore her call, either way; his decisions usually caused him more misery than good. He sighed and gathered up his clothes for a shower, it was about time for him to take one anyway according to his usual schedule. He gathered up his Atreyu shirt, a pair of black jeans, and his necklace which he would put on after the shower. He wasted little to no time in cleaning up, his black hair soaked once he stepped from the shower. The floor was soaked by now, he threw down a towel to soak up the water and reached for a bright red towel to dry off with.

Once he was dried and dressed, he stepped from the bathroom as tendrils of steam curled out into the hallway as if a pressurized door had just been opened. The steam dispersed quickly as he made his way back to his room. He noticed his door stood open, was Daniella awake? Considering it was about noon, he assumed she would be. He had been sure he had shut his door, he pushed it open quietly and found her sitting upon his bed. She was looking out the window, the sky was naturally dark. He sighed and dropped the towel into the hamper in his room, his eyes fixed on her. She didn't seem to notice he had come back, he would leave her there for this one time. His silver necklace jingled quietly from his neck, a skull on fire hung from the chain. It, of course, was just from the show he had often watched when he had the time. She watched it too, he knew because she pestered him to watch it with her every Saturday night when it was nearly too late for her to be awake. He favorite spot to curl up on the couch was usually occupied when he arrived to sit down as well, her puddle bunny rested beside her or in her lap. He shook his head at her, clinging to that thing like a life line. She had gone on about the thing for weeks, about how she couldn't wait for it to get here. He laughed because it was amusing at first about how she would cling to it like child with it's favorite blanket at first when it first arrived. He wouldn't have been surprised if she literally danced with joy about it's arrival. She was so slap happy sometimes, it amazed him sometimes about how she could have that much energy. He watched her quietly as she ran her hands through the fur of the animal he slept with, he could not deny that he didn't keep it with him while he slept. He didn't cling to it all the time but it was important to him since it carried the burden of something dark. Something he'd never talk about even if she had asked.

"Daniella..." he murmured quietly, watching her jump slightly from his voice. Her emerald green ones met his own storm gray-blue eyes, she tensed as if he were about to become angry. It confused her when he did not, he moved instead, to push back the curtains to reveal the darkened sky and day. He smiled faintly, such a thing was rare for her to see, but it was just another stormy day in his home town. He ruffled her hair, he felt as if a weight had been removed from his chest and he could breathe freely again. She didn't understand his good mood but hoped it would remain. Who knew? It might actually last for a few days, maybe longer. He stood at beside his bed, looking out the wide window before he settled on the window seal beneath it. He settled on the cool, light-colored marble that usually had his books stacked on them while he read at night to help him sleep. He huffed quietly and closed his eyes, listening to the soft music that played in his room. It was only a piano playing through the speakers from the internet but he didn't care. It was peaceful for the time being until Daniella decided to break the silence. "Hey Max..?" she whispered softly, her curious eyes upon him. "What happened...to..make you happy..?" she waited quietly to see if he were answer, though odds were that he wouldn't. He only shrugged and rose, leaving his room to go and do something for lunch for the both of them. Chances were that she hadn't eaten lunch yet, breakfast maybe. But he wasn't sure, he figured that he would order Chinese food. He didn't ask what she wanted but instead ordered two of everything on the menu and waited for it to be delivered.

While he waited for lunch to arrive, he started picking up the kitchen and washing dishes. He wouldn't answer her question, he was still trying to figure that part out himself. He would leave it un answered for today, just to drive her up the wall with her own imagination. He left her to her own wanderings while he brought lunch in and set it up on the counter, separating it and going through of what there was. There were two of everything so he proceeded to separate it and let her have her choice of food, he had ordered twice as much as he would normally. He laughed softly at his current predicament on how to answer that question. Deciding on leaving it alone until tomorrow, he called Daniella to eat. He knew she loved chinese food and explained about the two piles, leaving her to pick her own food from hers. He took his selected foods and left to sit on the sofa, turning it on tornado road. One of his usual shows that he watched when he did seldom watch tv, even that was rare to be seen from him. 


	7. Chapter 7

As rain slid down his black, sleek leather jacket and splattered onto the already soaked ground. His hair was becoming soaked from the heavy drops, rain sliding down over the shades he wore. The pair of sunglasses blocked out the sun enough to where he could stare directly at it if he wanted, sometimes he did. Even if people said it was bad, it didn't really bother him. The sky was inexplicably dark and near impossible to see the blue skies behind the thick, heavy curtain of cloud that coated the sky above. He was dressed in solid black, not even the tiniest bit of color besides his pale face. Lightning crashed around him and thunder shook the ground beneath his feet, the gleam of the lightning reflected off his shades. He could stand like this forever but soon enough he would be dragged back inside, if not corralled back into the indoors. He hated it inside on a perfectly stormy day like this. As much as he wanted to stay outside and watch the sky rage uncontrolled with anger and fury, faintly a voice called out to him. It had been Dani's, surely she was worried about him standing in the cold. Though only his hair and face would be soaked, he sighed and hesitantly moved to go back inside. The rain had calmed the rage inside of his head, easing the pain of his headache despite the bright flashes.

He looked like a drenched lion cub, having stood outside for so long. His hair was plastered to his pale skin by the water, drops of water still resided on his shades which he hadn't taken off yet. It annoyed Dani to look at him and not be able to see his eyes, she wanted to reach and take his shades away. She didn't, afraid of what he might say or do to her. "You're soaked..." she murmured instead, something shifting within her emerald green eyes. He shrugged off his jacket, his clothing beneath was completely dry as he replied. "Not as soaked as you might think," he shrugged and rested the leather on his shoulders. The sleeves of the jacket trailed behind as he disappeared into his room. He had left the door open, she followed and stood in the door way. She watched as he kicked off his black combat boots and tore off the socks that formed a protective layer between skin and hard material. He pulled off his shades and folded them up, setting them down on his makeshift bedside table. He looked up at her through his soaked bangs, he ruffled his hair to loosen up his hair as it fell back into it's normal place slightly. It was no longer stuck to his skin, instead it was now flowing freely so it would and could dry quickly. He didn't bother to use a towel, his storm gray-blue eyes were revealed now and he stared at her. It wasn't a hard stare, it was simply a curious stare as if he was asking a question with his eyes. "What?" he uttered quietly, pushing himself off his bed as he moved to poke her. She flinched when his hand came in contact with her shoulder.

He seemed to frown, watching her as she recoiled from his touch. Though he had only poked her, she acted like he had slapped her. He hadn't though, it puzzled him why she would pull away. He shrugged and slipped past her, easily and quietly. She didn't seem to notice until several minutes later when his shadow wasn't cast over her from the dim light in his room. He had gone to check the mail, wondering if his package had come today. He flipped the lid of the mail box up, peering inside. A yellow letter had arrived, about the size of a game case. In bold, green marker; his name was on the envelope as well as his address. He took it as well as the other letters out of the box, flipping it shut as he returned inside. He shut the screen door behind him, shutting the bigger door as well. He dropped the mail he deemed unimportant and opened the manilla envelope that was lined with bubble wrap, "well what do you know..." He murmured to himself, pulling out the game he had been waiting for. It had been nearly two weeks since his mother had told him about it. He put the envelope on his desk, noticing Dani had wandered off to wherever she went. He carried the game to the living room, turned on the wii, took out the current game, and put his own in. He put the disk he had taken out into the game case, he picked up the controller and sat on the dark sofa. He turned on the tv and set it for the right setting so he could play. He had to create a new profile for the game, finding it somewhat difficult with the remote.

He spent several hours playing his game, only progressing as far as the beginning of the first temple. He hadn't actually entered it yet, he figured he should practice some more on controlling his character and holding his hand steady. He didn't know why but he could never hold his hand steady, it always shook just slightly. It was always enough to throw off what he was trying to do, if it was hard that is. He hated his hand for being so unstable, especially during game play. If only he could control his hand, he wasn't as sure as he should've been. Mainly, he really only relied on his feet to keep him upright, now he was relying on his hands to keep his shot true. It wasn't working all too well, in his opinion at least. He eventually grew irritated enough where he just saved and turned it off, going back to his room. He sat at his desk and picked up a thick black book, beginning to read where he left off in it. He had been reading City of Glass for a few short hours, he got about fifty pages into the book. It wasn't very far into it, he figured he had better continue reading so he could return the books to his friend. He had taken off the cover of the hardback and set it aside, he never did have much luck with hard back books that had covers. The two books he got that were hardback was Breaking Dawn and a book that was an eighth book of a series, even then, he took the covers off and put them away. It would be for the best, he didn't want it to get folded somehow or torn. 


	8. Chapter 8

"Accursed Llama badges!" Max snarled, unamused by the annoyance that bothered him almost daily. He wanted to stab the stupid little things until they existed no more, but he could not. For they were merely virtual, they were a constant pain in the ass and he hated them. Daniella would get a kick out of this if she saw him now, how he was acting. He was usually calm and collected, nothing really able to penetrate his shields or set him off like the llama badges did. He dispised the things greatly, he was tempted to throw something but he did not. He closed out of the window and went to lay on his bed, picking up the book he had hidden under the pillow. He flipped it open, smoothing out the page he had dog-earred and resumed reading from the night before. He had done what he intended to on the computer for the time being, he left it while it when into 'sleep' mode as the screen turned black. It seemed like the world was out to annoy him and piss him off to the point where he threw something or broke something that he shouldn't. He had started to work out, to rid himself of his pent up anger and energy.

The Wii frustrated him when he couldn't get past the giant moblin in armor on his armored boar. He had almost gotten him, ialmost./i And that pissed him off worse than anything, he'd go and find a fairy before hand so when he did die, he could come back to life and finish the stupid thing off. He sighed and quit, going back to playing Ninja Gaiden II for himself so he could collect the achievements and points. It had been hot out lately, so he'd been staying inside in the cool while he wore just shorts in his home. With the Rafting Trip just days away, he needed to stay in shape as well. His father had been pestering him to work out so it wouldn't be a problem when he rowed most of the day, if not all. Last time they had gone, they did the six mile trip. He hoped that they would be able to go on the twelve mile this time, if the river was up that was. His mother wasn't too keen on it, last time they had spent six hours in the sun and he'd gotten burned pretty bad on his knees. He cursed the shorts he wore because of his dumbass brother, they were ruined. His brother was gone and married now, two kids and living in Missouri with them all and his wife's mother. Max was free of the shadow for now, but it was destined to come back and he knew it. When it did, he would be pissed and angrier than ever.

He burned with hatred for his brother, for ruining his life and for making everyone to think that he iwalked/i in his shadow while he was growing up. Just because he learned to like some of the things his brother like, didn't make him his exact clone. He sighed at the thought and put the book down, folding the corner of the page and closing it. If he ever saw his brother again, there would be hell to pay for what he had done. He enjoyed spending time with his neice, no matter how big of a pain in the ass she was sometimes. But she was alright in his book, he would've corrupted her from being a girlish girl and make her over in his shadow but they moved before he had the chance. He sighed and shoved the book back out of sight and left his room to find something to entertain himself with. His parents were out again, what they were doing he didn't know didn't care to know and hoped to never know.

He might as well try his hand at the Wii again to defeat that stupid Moblin guy on the armored boar. The first time was hard enough, this time was going to be harder. He didn't know if he could hold his hand steady long enough to get a shot on him. Maybe he could convince his father to play Army of Two with him when he returned, he didn't know. For the time being, he settled on the sofa and watched Big Cat Diary. It had been a while since he'd seen it, he curled up on the sofa in his shorts and his big, furry jacket. The hood fell forward, covering his face. It seemed to big for him to wear, sitting on the couch as he was. It made him look small, like no bigger than a smaller child. From the back, no one could tell who he was and it amused him. When his brother still lived here, he'd often get confused for him when their hair was both black. He settled on the sofa, continuing to watch the show until it came to an end. More were on after the one, he watched them until it ended, usually lasting for an hour and a half to two hours. 


End file.
